The Heart of the Forest
by White Hunter
Summary: A long time ago, humans and spirits use to live together in harmony, but when humans started destroying the forest the spirits waged war on humans. Years later humans never ventured into the forest for they fear the spirits they dubbed as Dark Spirits. Full summary inside, R&R
1. Chapter 1

Okay guys, this is a story that I had been thinking about for a couple of days. This is completely from inside of my head and in no way related to any movies, cartoons, anime etc. I hope you all enjoy it and tell me what you think about it.

*8*

Prologue

 _A long time ago, humans had once lived in harmony with nature. They have learned to take what they need from the forest and in turn give back to nature. They were also friends with the spirits that have protected the forest long before even man appeared on the earth. But over time, the humans grew greedy and took more than what they needed from the forests. They chopped down many trees and killed off almost every animal that lived in the forests and in their greed the spirits grew angry with the humans and began to fight against them. War broke out between humans and spirits as they battled for dominance over the forest, but their war soon came to an end when a powerful spirit came forth and became the Guardian of the Forest. The power from the Forest Guardian was so strong that it established fear within the humans and drove them out of the forest. Once the Forest Guardian's power had chased the humans out of the forest the Guardian created a crystal that he hid within a giant tree. The Forest Guardian made the crystal so that it will always protect the forest and that any tree the humans should cut down will instantly grow back in its place. A law was then established by the Forest Guardian that if any human should venture into the deepest part of the forest the spirits are to transform into hideous monsters to frighten the humans out of their territory. In time, the humans grew to fear the forest and the spirits that they now dubbed as dark spirits and never dared to venture into the forest for fear of being killed. The Forest Guardian soon went into a deep slumber, but in his place he had left a prophecy on a large mound of stone._

 _A day will come when humans shall seek the crystal_

 _If they should disturb the crystal_

 _Then the Guardian's rage shall awaken_

 _But in that day a human and spirit will bond together as one_

 _And will rise up to protect the crystal with their life_

 _While establishing balance between humans and spirits_

 _Once again_

 _Time passed and the deepest parts of the forest grew to be ancient and untouched by humans who feared it. Humans that do live near the forest vowed to never enter it and through their fear they tell their children the stories of dark spirits that will eat them should they ever enter the forest out of curiosity or foolishness._

Chapter 1

A wind gently blew through the branches of the trees as the sun shone brightly over a small village that sat near the edge of the forest. Many farming families were working in their fields and tending to their farm animals. Young children were running and playing within the fields as they chased one another in a game of tag. There was one girl among the kids who let out the loudest laughter that echoed throughout the field.

The girl was six years old with long brown hair that grew down to her shoulders and hazel brown eyes. The girl was wearing a long sleeve brown dress with orange rims on the end of the sleeves and the bottom edge of her dress. The girl was wearing flat bottom boots that were slightly tattered.

The girl's name was Lira and she was a girl who was always curious about the world around her, but she also had a kind heart and is willing to help her parents or the people of her village with the chores that needed to be done. Lira continued to run away from a young seven year old boy who was 'it' before she slid on a wet patch of grass, while letting out a startled cry of surprise. Lira was now lying on her back in the tall grass that she and the other kids had been running around in as she stared up at the sky with a dazed look on her face. Lira blinked to clear her vision, but it was soon obscured by a butterfly landing on her nose.

The butterfly's wings were an aqua blue with the edgings and patterns being black. Lira stared crossed eyed at the butterfly for a moment before she watched it fly off her nose. Lira quickly sat up with a large smile on her face before jumping to her feet as she began to chase the butterfly all around the field, while letting out a joyful laugh in her wake. Lira was so busy chasing the butterfly that she didn't realize she was heading towards the forest.

In one of the berry fields was a twenty year old woman with long brown hair tied up in a bun and emerald green eyes. The woman was wearing a long sleeve brown dress with a white apron tied around her waist and flat bottom shoes. This was Lira's mother, Eliza, a woman who is very protective of her daughter and would always worry about her daughter going to close to the forest.

Eliza looked up from her berry picking and her face transformed into a look of horror when she saw her daughter running straight towards the forest. Eliza dropped what she was doing and quickly gathered up her skirt as she began to run as fast as she could to stop her daughter. Lira continued to chase the butterfly for a while longer until she suddenly heard her mother yelling at her before Eliza grabbed Lira by the shoulders.

"Lira, stop!" shouted Eliza as she quickly pulled her daughter away from the forest. "You know the rules. You must never go into the forest!"

Lira looked up at her mother in confusion for a second, than turned her head to look at the forest before looking back up at her mother again.

"Why not?" asked Lira.

Eliza sighed in exasperation at her daughter's question before she knelt down to Lira's level.

"Lira…that forest is dangerous," explained Eliza. "There are beasts within that forest, known as dark spirits and if anyone from our village dares enter it and come face to face with one of those dark spirits…They'll be killed."

Lira felt a little bit of fear course through her body at her mother's words, but she was still curious about the forest that her village was so afraid of. Lira was also curious about the Dark Spirits that the villagers keep on talking about, what exactly did they look like? Are they as fierce as the villagers say they were? Those questions kept buzzing around within Lira's head for a while as her mother led her away from the forest.

"Come now Lira, you can help me with picking berries for the Summer Festival tonight," said Eliza.

"Okay mommy," said Lira with a smile.

Unknown to Lira and her mother they were being watched by two golden brown eyes that were looking out beneath the underbrush of a bush. The being watch the two humans making their way back to the village before letting out a sigh of relief. The being then turned its eyes towards the butterfly that was sitting on one of the roots of a tall tree.

"You idiot!" exclaimed the being angrily in a male voice, "You nearly led a human into our forest!"

The butterfly glowed in a blue aura for a moment before its form shifted into a little creature that looked similar to the humans that lived in the village with the little creature having a female appearance. The little creature had long blonde hair that grew down behind her knees, forest green eyes, transparent wings that had pink and blue hues to them and peach colored skin. The little being was wearing a violet sleeveless dress with the skirt having a high slit on the left side and a bit of her midriff showing a little on the little being's left side, while her feet were bare.

The little creature was none other than a fairy that lived within the forest near the edge of the village. The fairy glared at the being in front of her after being scolded her before the fairy spoke in a voice that sounded wisp like a small gust of wind blowing through a tall patch of grass.

"Come on loosen up a little would ya? I was just having a little fun with that girl," said the fairy as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The being let out a growl as he stepped into the light that shone through the branches of the trees to reveal his true self to the little fairy. The being was a ferret that had dark green fur with brown markings on his legs, ears, muzzle and the tip of his tail. Over the ferret's eyes was a brown mask. The ferret sat up on his back legs and crossed his paws over his chest as he glared at the little fairy before him.

"Bluebell, you know the law of this forest," said the ferret with an annoyed look on his face. "Humans aren't allowed in our realm."

"And if humans ever journey into our forest, we are to scare them out by any means necessary," muttered the fairy, Bluebell, with a bored look on her face. "I know the law of the forest keeps us safe from humans Moss. I just don't see why we have to keep hiding from those humans when we could just play pranks on them to teach them not to come tramping in our home."

The ferret, Moss, groaned as he smacked his right paw on his forehead in exasperation. Moss had known Bluebell his whole life and she had shown him that she was an over confident, immature little fairy that wanted to play pranks on humans who journeyed too far into their forest. Moss was more of the down to earth, serious kind of spirit that always worried about the safety of others and is very cautious around humans. He also holds tightly to the law of the forest that the Forest Guardian had established and would scold any little spirit that would break it just so they could play pranks on the humans to teach them a lesson.

"One of these days you'll wind up getting yourself caught by a human Bluebell," said Moss as he glared at the fairy once again. "And when that happens, don't expect me to save you."

Moss then got down on all fours and began to walk deep into the forest, while Bluebell stuck her tongue out at the ferret just to spite him. Bluebell then flew after Moss as the two banter back and forth about the law of the forest, not knowing that someone else had also witnessed the human child almost entering the forest as well. High up in one of the trees a being with aqua green eyes was watching Lira and her mother picking berries for the Summer Festival feast. The being's eyes lingered on Lira for a while before he let out a huff and jumped down from the tree that he had been hiding in a moment ago. The being then made his way into the shadows of the forest, while leaving no trace of his presence behind him.

Nightfall

The night was filled with laughter, music and the light of the bonfire's flames as the people within the village celebrated the Summer Festival. The villagers talked and shared stories with each other, while a few children ran around the village square chasing each other. A few feet away from the party were a group of children sitting on the ground as they circled around one of the village elders, an old man with a long grey beard and mustache that grew down to his chest. He was wearing a green cloak over top of a brown tunic, brown trousers and light brown fur edging boots. The elder's name was Alden. He was the elder and one of the best storytellers within the village. Lira sat among the children as she listened to the stories that Alan was telling them about how humans and spirits had once been friends a long time ago. Lira was always fascinated with the stories, but she always became disappointed at what humans had done to the spirits' home.

"Elder," spoked Lira once Alden finished his story. "Will there ever come a time where spirits and humans could live together in peace again?"

Alden thought over Lira's question for a moment before he answered her with a sad frown on his face.

"I do not know young Lira," replied Alden with a shake of his head. "There may come a day where humans and spirits will live in peace again, but when? Even I do not know. It may happen long before our time or maybe never."

Lira sadly looked down at the ground after hearing what Alden said. A boy suddenly spoke up among the group of kids with an indifferent look on his face. The boy had shaggy blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing a brown leather vest over a white long sleeve tunic, brown pants and brown flat bottom boots. The boy's name was Geoff, a young six year old who has a great fear of the forest and wishes to never set foot within it.

"Why would anyone want to be friends with those Dark Spirits?" questioned the boy. "They're nothing but monsters who try to harm us whenever we venture into their forest."

"They only became Dark Spirits because we were the ones that started destroying their homes first," argued Lira as she glared at the boy in anger.

"I'm afraid Lira is correct young Geoff," spoke Alden with a sad smile on his face. "The greed that we humans have carried throughout the years has been growing for a while now, but our village has learned to never let greed rule our lives when it comes to the forest. Even though in the end we've learned to fear the spirits of the forest, while setting up the rule to keep us safe from doing something foolish that might get us killed by them."

"Have you ever seen a Dark Spirit?" asked Geoff with his arms crossed over his chest.

"No young man, I haven't," replied Alden with a shake of his head. "At least at the age I am at right now, but when I was younger I once caught sight of a Dark Spirit standing near the edge of the forest. I didn't get a good look at it for it suddenly disappeared back into the forest when it noticed me staring straight at it. My sighting of a Dark Spirit had caused the village to go into a panic for a while with the villagers thinking that the Dark Spirits will come into the village and kill us. But eventually, it was nothing but a false alarm on my cause and that was the only time I saw a Dark Spirit."

Lira and the kids stared up at Alden in wonder before their parents came up to them and told them that it was time they headed home. Lira and her parents walked towards their home, which sat near the square of the village. Lira let out a yelp when her father suddenly picker her up from the ground and placed her on his shoulders.

Lira's father was a twenty three year old man with brown, almost black, short hair with a mustache and beard growing on his face and dark brown eyes. The man was wearing a dark green tunic with an orange vest over top, a brown waist belt around his waist, brown leggings and flat bottom boots. The name of Lira's father was Justin and he was a one of the kindest fathers that Lira has ever come to know within the village.

Lira's father was a wood carver who loves to crave figurines of animals out of wood. Justin would sometimes buy wood off of merchants who would once in a while travel threw Lira's small village as they travel to different villages. When Lira's father finished some of his carvings he would then make a long trip to other villages to sell his carvings to anyone who would be interested in percussing them. Sometimes the sales were good and Justin would bring back enough money that his family could use to buy food or clothing from merchants, but if he brought little money then the family would save it for later use.

The family soon made it to their home, which was a simple cottage with a wooden roof. Lira got herself ready for bed as she changed out of her day clothes and into a cotton white night gown. Lira climbed into her bed before settling down within the covers before her mother and father walked up to Lira to give their daughter a goodnight kiss.

"Sweet dreams my little Lira," said Eliza with a warm smile on her face.

"Goodnight mommy, goodnight daddy," said Lira with a smile "I love you".

"We love you too sweetheart," spoke Justin before he led Lira's mother out of the room, while blowing out the candle on the way out.

The room was dark with only the light of the full moon illuminating Lira's room. Lira stared out at the night sky through her window as she gazed upon the stars that shone brightly alongside the moon. Lira let her thoughts wander as she thought about the stories of how humans and spirits had once been friends as a sad smile appeared on her face.

' _I hope someday, humans and spirits can live in harmony again,_ ' thought Lira before she closed her eyes and snuggled into her pillow as she let her dreams take her to places unknown.

*8*

Well here's the first chapter, I hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think of it. White Hunter, howling out to you and the spirits!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay guys, this is a story that I had been thinking about for a couple of days. This is completely from inside of my head and in no way related to any movies, cartoons, anime etc. I hope you all enjoy it and tell me what you think about it.

*8*

Chapter 2

Years passed for Lira as she grew up into a young and beautiful sixteen year old teenager. Lira had grown to have an adventurous spirit and would always try to seek out new places within her village to look for adventure. Lira's hair had grown longer over the years and was now tied up into a low hanging ponytail. Lira was wearing a short sleeve light green tunic over a white long sleeve shirt, dark brown leggings, light brown flat bottom boots and an orange sash-belt.

Throughout the years, Lira had taken to helping her father when it came to traveling to other villages to sell his woodcarvings, which gave her the chance to explore outside of her village. Lira had always wondered what was outside her village and decided to become an apprentice merchant under her father's wing. Lira loved spending time with her father and got to learn what it's like to be a merchant. It was at that time that Lira was helping her father in packing his wood carvings onto the wagon as he was getting ready to make his trip to one of the towns that was a day's ride from their village. Lira wiped the back of her sleeve on her forehead after loading the last of the crates onto the wagon.

"There, that's the last one," said Lira with a smile.

"Thank you Lira," spoke Justin as he walked up to his daughter with a smile. "You've really helped out in loading up the wagon."

"Glad to be of assistance dad," said Lira as she placed her hands on her waist. "After all, if I'm to be a merchant like you one day, then I got to learn all the ups and downs of the trade."

Justin only chuckled at his daughter "Yes, yes you do. Now we should get going before it gets too dark for us to travel."

Lira nodded her head before she heard someone walking up to them and turned to see her mother walking towards them. Lira smiled as she met her mother half way and gave her a loving hug with Eliza returning it.

"You and your father look after each other," said Eliza as she pulled away from her daughter. "Also, you listen to what your father says."

"I will mom," said Lira.

Eliza soon turned her attention on her husband before the two of them hugged each other goodbye.

"You and Lira be careful," said Eliza.

"We'll be back tomorrow," said Justin as he and Eliza pulled away from each other.

With that said, Lira and Justin climbed up to the front seat of the wagon. The wagon was being pulled by two large draft horses that Lira's family owned. Justin picked up the reins and gave them a flick as Lira turned in her seat and waved goodbye to her mother, with Eliza waving back as she watched her daughter and husband make their way down the dirt trail. The wagon travel down the road in silence as Lira watched the landscape pass before her eyes with a large smile spread out on her face. No matter how many times Lira rode in the wagon with her dad, she never gets tired of seeing the land that her people have been living on for fifty generations. They were soon traveling near the boarders of the forest before a familiar blue butterfly fluttered out from the forest and flew around Lira as the young teen smiled, while watching it fly around her.

"I swear, every time we travel past this forest that butterfly comes out as if to say hello to you," said Justin with a chuckle as the butterfly landed on the tip of Lira's up raised finger.

"I guess I just have a talent in making friends with the most unlikely of people or beings," joked Lira with a smile before watching the butterfly flutter its way back into the domain of the forest.

Lira watched the butterfly disappear with a sad smile on her face before the dirt road began to turn away from the forest as the wagon made its way in a different direction. Lira and her father sat in silence for a while, before Lira spoke up again.

"You know, I think that butterfly might be one of the friendlier spirits of the forest," said Lira.

Justin laughed as he turned his head to look at his daughter "You still have that strong belief that there might still be good spirits living among the Dark Spirits of the forest eh?"

"Yes," replied Lira with a nod of her head.

"Lira, you are probably the only one who has a strong belief that one day humans and spirits could one day live together in peace again," said Justin with a sad smile on his face.

Lira only gave her father a sad smile back before turning to look ahead at the road again. Lira had still hung onto the belief that humans and spirits could one day live in harmony together, but her belief was mocked by some of the village teenagers who bully her and tell her that she was nothing but a daydreamer. Lira never let the words of the teenagers' within her village get her down and always kept looking forward towards a bright future for both her, her family and the village.

"Lira…I know you have high hopes in your beliefs, but you need to understand that there may never come a time where humans and spirits will become friends," explained Justin in a gentle voice.

"I know dad," said Lira as she turned her gaze up towards the sky "But I just can't help feeling that something wondrous will happen in the near future. There's just this feeling inside of me that makes me want to keep holding onto this hope for as long as possible."

"You and your feelings," said Justin with a roll of his eyes. "You know, every time you get one of those feelings they always wind up coming true in the end."

Lira couldn't help but chuckle as she remembered what had happened the last time she had a feeling that something was going to happen. It was when she was ten years old that she and a few of her friends had been playing 'hide and seek' inside the village. Lira had been 'it' and she had found five of her friends, but half way through the game she suddenly sensed that something was wrong. Lira quickly ran to the edge of the village where the villagers plant their wheat and harvest it when the autumn season comes around. Lira soon came to a halt when she saw one of the children from her village sitting on the ground, crying out in pain as he tightly held his left ankle. Lira quickly made her way to her friend to see if he was alright before hearing a rattling sound a few feet away from the boy. Lira soon realized that her friend had been bitten by a rattle snake and she quickly took him to the elders to get healed, while being careful to not disturb the snake as she dragged her friend away from the dangerous reptile. It was safe to say that her friend was saved just in time before the venom of the snake could spread further into his system. From that day forth, no one was able to understand how Lira knew that boy was in danger, but they were thankful that Lira found him in time. Throughout the years, Lira's sixth sense of knowing something would happen had helped the village through the toughest of times.

"I just want you to know that you can't raise your hopes too high Lira," reasoned Justin as Lira looked at her father with an understanding smile.

"I know dad," said Lira with a nod.

The two soon fell into a comfortable silence as they continued down the road towards their destination. Hours passed until Lira and her father finally reached the town that they would sell Justin's wood carvings. When they walked through the city gates, Lira began to stare around in wonder at all of the merchants and their booths as they sold their items off to people who come by to buy them. The town was larger than Lira's village and had a lot more people roaming around the streets.

"Wow, I've never seen so many people in one place before," said Lira.

"Well Oovanna is one of the few largest places where people come to either sell or buy merchandises," explained Justin with a smile. "We're just lucky that Oovanna is the closest town that we're able to travel to."

"I know father," said Lira as she turned to look at Justin. "It's just that, no matter how many times I travel to Oovanna, this place will never cease to amaze me."

"Just make sure it doesn't distract you as you help me with selling my wood carvings," said Justin as he gave his daughter a stern look.

"Don't worry father, I won't let this town distract me." Lira reassured her father.

"Alright," said Justin with a nod. "Now, let's get our booth set up over there."

Lira and her father parked their cart at an open space on the side of the streets of Oovanna. Lira and Justin began to set up their booth and once they were finished, they began to place out the wood carvings. They had only just finished setting out the carvings before a man came over to inspect the carvings for a moment before picking up one that caught his eye.

The wood carving that the man picked up was a bear that stood on all four legs. The bear, like many of Justin's carvings, was carved into such detail that it almost looked like it could come alive at any moment.

The man handed Justin some money before walking away as the next person came up to take a look at the wood carvings. The day went on like that for a while as Lira and her father sold off nearly all of their wood carvings to the people who were interested in buying them. Before Lira and Justin knew it, the day began to slowly end and they started packing up their shop.

"I have to admit that today was pretty successful," said Justin as he packed up the last of their things into the cart. "We'll make the journey back home tomorrow morning, it's getting late and I don't want to travel during the night where we won't be able to see which way we're going."

"So…I guess that means we're going to be staying in an inn for the night," said Lira as she guessed what they would be doing.

Justin only chuckled as he nodded his head 'yes' at his daughter. It took a while for them to find an inn they could stay in for the night that wasn't too expensive. The inn was quiet and at a reasonable price, and there weren't that many people in there. Lira and her father were sitting at a table enjoying their supper. Their supper was of medium rare steak, mash potatoes and a salad on the side. Lira was having a mug of strawberry cordial, while her father had a mug of beer.

"Boy this food tastes good," said Lira before she cut out another piece of meat from her steak. "Though not as good as mom's cooking."

"You better not let the chief within this inn hear you," said Justin as he teased his daughter by giving her a fake warning. "Otherwise he will be offended by what you just said."

Lira only chuckled before she popped her piece of steak into her mouth. Lira and her father enjoyed their supper in silence for a while, before the front doors of the inn suddenly slammed open. Lira, her father and the few people that were staying in the inn for the night, quickly turned their heads towards the door and saw a group that was made up of four men walking into the inn. The men were wearing a strange kind of armor that was attached to their shoulders, chests and boots. The men were wearing the same color of tunics and pants. The tunics were a dark grey, while their pants were a dark brown. They had black capes that hung from their shoulders with the inside of the capes being a blood red and on the back of the capes was a blood red serpent that was wrapped around a sword. The only way for the people of the inn to tell them apart was by the color of their hair, eyes and faces. Four men walked into the inn with their armor clinking as they moved towards the bar stools at the front. When the men walked passed Lira and her father, a cold chill ran down the young teen's spine. Lira turned her head to watch the four men with an uneasy look upon her face as they sat down at the bar counter.

"Lira, are you okay," asked Justin as he stared at his daughter in worry.

"Y-yeah," replied Lira with nod of hesitation as she turned to look at her father. "I'm okay, it's just that…those men over there at the bar table…there's just something about them that feels off to me."

Justin reached across the table as he placed a comforting hand upon his daughter's hand as he gave her a smile of reassurance.

"Don't worry too much about it Lira," said Justin. "As long as we keep to ourselves then no trouble will come upon us."

Lira looked up at her father and smile at him, with Justin smiling back at her.

"Now, finish up your supper," said Justin. "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

Lira nodded her head and began to finish eating her supper before she and her father rented a bedroom for them to sleep in for the night.

That night within the inn, all was peaceful as everyone slept quietly within their beds, all except for Lira as she tossed and turned upon her bed with her mind plagued by dark nightmares. In her dream, Lira saw her village being invaded by an army of men who were hidden in shadow. They captured the people of her village and held them hostage, while Lira was the only one who was escaped from her village. The men hidden within shadow were chasing her across a wide open black field on horseback as Lira ran for her life. The black field soon changed to the shadows of the forest, where Lira was able to escape from her pursuers, but Lira soon found herself lost as the dark shadows of the trees blocked out the sky above her. Lira panicked as she looked around to see if she could find a way out of the forest and made a decision to take one step forward. That was when the trees began to change shape as they took on the monstrous forms of Dark Spirits who glared down at her with their red eyes. Lira stared up at the Dark Spirits in fear, but the Dark Spirits' eyes slowly changed to a calming blue before they all came together to form a giant tree that stood as tall as a mountain. Lira stared up at the tree in wonder before a bright light began to shine from within the tree as it engulfed it. But the light soon dimmed when a larger shadowy figure of a man appeared behind the light and grabbed it with his large hand. Lira stared in horror as the man lifted the light that he clenched within his hand as an evil smirk played out upon his face, but that smirk was soon replaced with horror when a new shadow appeared. This shadow took on a form of a gigantic monster that towered over the man with its red eyes glaring down at him in rage and anger before it lunged forward and consumed the man. Lira stood frozen in fear as the monster turned its red eyes on her. Those eyes pierced right into Lira's soul as the young teenager stared up at the monster fearfully...before a deep and powerful voice boomed out all around her.

" _ **Light will be consumed by the greed and hatred of the men who seek the treasure of the forest. They will not care who they hurt or kill, all they will care about is to bring upon the destruction of the forest. Only the bond between humans and spirits can bring back the light**_ "

"Bring back…the light?" echoed Lira in confusion.

The shadow of the monster slowly shifted its form as it shifted into a canine creature that stood as tall as a horse. The canine creature's form was hidden in shadow and Lira couldn't make out any of its features. The voice returned once again as it boomed out all around her.

" _ **Even in the darkness, things aren't what they appear to be.**_ "

Lira was confused by what the voice meant, but she was brought out of her confusion when the canine creature suddenly leaped towards her. Lira let out a short scream as she shot up within her bed in shock and fear. It took a while for Lira to calm down before she let out a sigh. Lira turned her head to where her father was sleeping right beside her and saw that he was still asleep, while snoring loudly within the process.

' _Good, I didn't wake him,_ ' thought Lira in relief before she turned her gaze towards the window.

A full moon hung within the night sky with the stars blinking against the darkness. Lira continued to stare up at the moon as she began to think about the dream that she had and what the voice told her.

' _What did the voice mean by 'light will be consumed by darkness' and who were those men that invaded my village?'_

No matter how hard Lira tried to figure out what her dream was about, she couldn't piece the dream together. Lira let out a sigh before she decided to try and get in a little more sleep for her journey home tomorrow. Lira cuddled into the pillow and blankets of her bed and shut her eyes as she began to relax within the warmth. It wasn't long until Lira finally fell asleep again as she waited for morning to arrive once again and hopefully to have a peaceful night's sleep without any more nightmares.

Morning soon came over the town of Oovanna as Lira and her father got their cart ready. Lira had just led the two tacked up horses out of their stall and was about to hitch them up to the wagon when the men that had entered the inn last night suddenly walked up to them. Justin frowned as he stood protectively in front of his daughter as the four men stopped right in front of them. One of the men walked forward from his group as he stared at Lira and her father with a calculating look upon his face.

This man had short brown hair and hazel green eyes. His beard was trimmed short and was nicely kept with it being the same color as his hair. Lira had a feeling that this man was the leader of the group and that he was to not be trusted.

"It looks like you, and your daughter, are getting ready to travel," said the man with a smirk upon his face.

"Yes, we're getting ready to travel back to our village," replied Lira's father as he gave the man a suspicious look. "We were just here in Oovanna to sell some of my wood carvings."

"Ah I see," spoked the man with a nod of disinterest. "So you're one of those villages that live near the forest, right?"

Lira gripped tightly onto the horses' reins as an uneasy feeling came into her stomach while Justin glared at the man before him.

"What interest is it to you to know about my village living near the forest?" questioned Justin with a frown.

"You'd better watch what you say to us old man," spoke a blonde hair man within the group as he glared at Justin in anger.

"Now, now Marcus," spoked the man who was talking to Justin in a calming voice. "It is only natural that this man and his daughter are suspicious of us. After all, we haven't introduced ourselves."

"Just who are you people?" questioned Lira with a frown.

"We, young lady, are but humble men who are curious about the forest," replied the leader of the group with a small bow. "My name is Stephon and these are my men. We are the known as the Cult of the Red Serpent and we have been fascinated by the legends that your people keep saying about Dark Spirits that roam deep within the darkest parts of the forest."

"And why would you be interested in forest?" questioned Justin as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"We've heard that there is an ancient treasure of which is being protected by the Dark Spirits," the man, Stephon, answered. "We are hoping that you might have information on it."

"I'm sorry, but we don't" spoke Justin in a firm voice. "We only concern ourselves with respecting the laws of the forest and to never enter it at the cost of our lives."

"I see," spoke Stephon with a raised eyebrow. "So you and your people fear the forest."

"We may fear the forest, but we also respect it," added Justin firmly. "Now, if you don't mind. My daughter and I have a long journey ahead of us and we should really be going."

"Of course," said Stephon with a bow. "We shall not keep you from journeying back to your home. May you travel safe."

Justin only nodded his head before Stephon and his men walked away from him and Lira. Once they were far enough away Lira turned to look at her father in worry.

"There's something about those men that I don't trust father," warned Lira.

"I know," replied Justin as he turned to look at his daughter. "That's why we need to leave, now."

With that said, Lira and her father hitched up the horses and began to travel back to their village, not knowing that a storm of chaos will be following in their wake.

*9*

Here's the second chapter of my story, I hope you enjoy it.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the long wait people, I had been a bit distracted for a few months so here's the next chapter of my story.

*8*

Chapter 3

The ride home was an uneventful one for Lira and her father. They mostly passed the time on their way home by discussing how well their sale for their merchandise was back in the city. It was near afternoon when Lira and her father returned to the outskirts of their village. They rode through the village, while the people called out to them as they welcomed the Lira and her father home from their long journey. Lira smiled as she waved at some of the people who greeted her and her father before Justin spoke to her.

"Why don't you go find your friends and see if you can help them with their choirs," said Justin with a smile.

"Okay, dad," said Lira before her father stopped the cart to let his daughter jump off. "I'll see you back at home before sunset."

Lira's father nodded before he clucked to horses to continue onwards towards their home again. Lira watched her father head towards their home before she began to wander around the village in search of her friends. Once in a while she would stop to talk with some of the villagers to see if they needed any help before she went on her way. Lira soon found some of the kids of her village running around within the field, while shouting and screaming out at one another as they ran around in the tall grass. Lira frowned in confusion as she watched the kids run around in the tall grass for a moment before she noticed something white and wholly running through the tall grass, which almost completely hid it from view.

' _Not again,_ ' thought Lira with a sigh of exasperation. ' _Can't they learn to be a little more careful when it comes to opening the sheep paddock?_ '

Lira then quickly ran towards the field to see if she could help the kids in their attempt of recapturing the escaped sheep. Many of the children ranged from thirteen year olds to ten year olds as they desperately tried to corner the sheep that they were chasing, but the animal proved to be quite allusive. One of the children, a thirteen year old boy, tried to grab the sheep in a flying tackle, but winded up missing his target and found himself rolling through the tall grass. The boy sooncame to a stop as he let out a painful groan before Lira stood over him with an amused smile upon her face, while she stared down at him.

"Having a bit of trouble, Tom?" asked Lira with a raised eyebrow.

The young boy, Tom, let out another painful groan as he sat up to look up at Lira. The other kids stopped their chase as when they noticed Lira and they quickly ran over to her with loud cheers.

"Lira, you're back!" exclaimed a young ten year old girl as she was the first one to run up to Lira.

Lira let out a laugh as she knelt down to catch the little girl in her arms. She swung the child around in the air for a brief moment before placing her down on the ground again. The kids were soon grouped around Lira as she helped Tom up onto his feet.

"Up we go," said Lira before she turned to look at the kids that stood around her. "Now, anyone mind telling me how one of our sheep got out of its paddock."

"It was an accident," spoked on of the boys who was around twelve years old. "We were just feeding the sheep, but we forgot to close the gate behind us. While we had our backs' turned, one of the sheep snuck its way out of the open gate. Jimmy was the first one to notice the sheep escaping and we quickly gave chase, while making sure that we shut the gate behind us so that the others didn't get out."

"And we've been chasing it all around the field ever since," finished another twelve year old.

After hearing what the kids told her, Lira let out a sigh of exasperation: "You kids can't seem to keep out of trouble, can you?"

The kids let out a sheepish laugh as they all gave Lira innocent shrugs.

"Alright," spoke Lira calmly as she placed her hands on her hips. "Why don't I help you in capturing our runaway sheep, huh?"

The kids let out a cheer when Lira offered her help and they began to make a plan on how to catch their sheep escapee. Once they devised a strategy, Lira and the children took up their positions and began to set their plan into action. Lira and the rest of the children positioned themselves around the field, while making sure that they were encircling the sheep they were going to try and capture. They all kept quiet as they watched the sheep that was eating some of the tall grass without a care in a world. Lira held still for a while before she held up her right hand and was about to give the kids a signal, when Tom suddenly acted on impulse again as he shot out from his hiding spot and began to ran towards the sheep.

"Tom, no!" shouted Lira.

The sheep let out a loud bleat before it bolted away from Tom, who tried to pounce on it, but winded up landing face first in the dirt. The rest of the kids groaned in annoyance and exasperation as they watched the sheep escaping them from again, but the worse part was that the sheep was heading towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Oh no!" shouted one of the children in terror. "It's going towards the forest!"

"That's just great!" exclaimed one of the older boys as he glared down at Tom. "Now, thanks to you and your impatient nature, we're all going to get a scolding!"

Tom looked down at the ground in shame, while the other kids were glaring down at him in anger and disappointment. Lira let out a sigh as she scratched the back of her neck thoughtfully before a determined look came upon her face.

"Alright, nothing for it," voiced Lira before she looked back at the children. "You lot go back home to your families and explain what had happened."

"What about you?" asked one of the children "What are you going to do?"

Lira hesitated for a moment before she answered the child's question. The answer that she gave to the group of children startled them in shock and disbelief.

"I'm going to go after the sheep," said Lira in a serious voice.

The children looked up at Lira nervously before one of the older children spoke.

"B-b-but…entering that forest is forbidden," stammered the child nervously.

"I know," replied Lira as she knelt down to look the children in the eyes. "That's why I want you all to not say a word about me entering the forest and if anyone finds out about it then I'll humbly take the blame. Now all of you get back to your homes."

The children hesitated for a moment before they slowly headed back to the village when Lira gave them a firm look. Lira watched them go for a moment before she stood up again and turned to look back at the forest. Lira started taking long strides as she walked towards the forest before she finally came to the edge of it. Lira stopped in her track as she stared into the forest as she recalled how her parents always forbade her to go into it, in fear that she would wind up running into Dark Spirits who would attack and kill her.

' _All of those sheep are important to our village,_ ' thought Lira firmly within her head. ' _So I'm not going to let this one get away._ '

With that thought firmly in her mind, Lira sucked in a deep breath and began to venture into the forest. Not knowing that she was being watched by a pair of Aqua green eyes. The owner of the eyes frowned as he watched Lira journey further into the forest, before letting out a soft growl and disappearing into the thick underbrush. Lira, unaware that she was being watched, continued to move deeper into the forest in search of the sheep that had escaped.

Ten minutes later

Lira continued to walk through the forest as she tried to find the sheep, but so far there was no sign of it.

"Here sheepie, sheepie, sheepie!" called Lira as she looked around the forest. "It's time to go back home to the village!"

Lira continued to walk through the forest, while gently pushing away vines and branches that were in her way. Lira watched were she was going as she made sure not to disturb anything within the forest for she didn't want to anger any of the Dark Spirits that live within this sacred dwelling place.

"Ugh…where is that stupid sheep?" groaned Lira as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

Lira looked at her surroundings and frowned as she tried to see if there was any hit of the runaway sheep, but she was suddenly startled by the sound of a stick being broken behind her. Lira quickly turned around to see what it was, but saw nothing behind her. Lira shrugged off the sound as nothing and was about to continue forward when she suddenly heard a deep growl from her right. Lira froze as she slowly turned her gaze towards the source of the sound and saw a few bushes move about. Lira felt her heart quickening within her chest as fear began to grip her. Lira had often heard how dangerous Dark Spirits can be and that people should avoid them at all costs. Lira heard a few bushes shake to her left and that was when she finally bolted in a random direction to try and escape the Dark Spirit that was following her. Branches of trees and bushes whipped passed her as Lira ran as fast as her legs could carry her, with her pursuer running close behind her. Lira continued to run through the forest in a blind panic before she came to a large clearing with a few strands of light flowing through the forest canopy. Lira leaned forward and placed her hands on her knees, while she panted for breath from her wild run through the forest. Once she caught her breath Lira straightened herself up again and began to look around the clearing with a frantic look upon her face.

' _Maybe coming into the forest to look for that stupid sheep_ wasn't _such a good idea after all_ ' thought Lira to herself as she stepped further into the clearing.

She barely took a few steps into the clearing when a dark blue blur suddenly burst out from the bushes and jumped in front of Lira. Lira screamed in surprise and shock before she fell backwards onto the forest floor. Luckily she landed on a thick pile of moss, which cushioned her fall. Lira quickly got her senses together before she gazed at the blur that had jumped out in front of her. What she saw made her blink in astonishment for standing in front of her within the rays of sunlight was a creature that she had never seen before.

The creature looked like a cross between a wolf and a fox with a long fluffy tail held just an inch off the ground. The creature's fur was a light blue with dark blue-purple fur covering the top and lower parts of its muzzle and a dark blue-purple patch that was thicker at the top of its head before it began to thin down from its neck before ending near the base of its tail. The creature's front and back paws were a blue, almost black, color as well as the tip of its ears. The under part of the creature's stomach was pure white fur. Dark blue markings were imprinted on its shoulders and hips, while a dark blue marking sat on the top eyelid of aqua green eyes. The creature was barely tall enough to reach up to Lira's kneecaps.

Lira continued to stare at the creature in amazement, while the creature glared at her with it pupils narrowed into slits. All was quiet in the clearing for a moment before the creature surprised Lira once again as it opened its jaws…and spoke in a slightly deep male voice.

"What are you doing here in our forest, human?" questioned the creature with a soft growl.

Lira's eyes widened at what she had just heard come out of the creature's mouth and began to speak.

"You…you can talk?" asked Lira with a stutter.

The creature snorted, whether out of amusement or annoyance, Lira didn't know, before it spoke once again.

"Of course I do, human," replied the creature with a roll of his eyes. "What did you think I was? Some dumb animal?"

"N-n-no!" exclaimed Lira with a shake of her head. "What I mean is…well, I'm just surprise that someone like you can…well, talk."

The creature huffed as he sat down on the soft grass and moss, while he raised an eyebrow at Lira as he looked at her in curiosity.

"You know, human, your kind is not allowed in the Forbidden Forest," said the creature as he curled his tail around his front paws. "So I'll ask this question again. What…are you doing here?"

Lira hesitated for a moment before she gathered up her courage and began to answer the creature's question.

"I came into the forest to look for one of the village sheep that had escaped from its paddock," said Lira as she stared straight into the creature's eyes without fear. "I didn't anticipate in adventure this far into your forest home."

"Hah!" scoffed a male voice from Lira's left. "That's a likely story, human."

Lira quickly turned to the source of the voice and blinked in surprise when she saw a green furred ferret sitting on a small rock that stood right near to her, while glaring up at her with its paws on it waist. Lira let out a startled yelp at the sudden appearance for the ferret standing near her before a blue butterfly came fluttering into view before it glowed in a soft blue light. Lira stared wide eyed when she saw a little female fairy floating in front of her with an amused look upon her face.

"Although you have to admit, Moss, this girl does have guts," said the fairy as she flew over to the ferret. "Unlike the other villagers, who are afraid to come in here themselves."

"And for good reason, Bluebell!" exclaimed the ferret as he glared at the little fairy. "If any of those humans enters these woods, then it's our job to scare them away before they can do any damage here!"

Lira stared at the ferret and fairy in astonishment before comprehending what the ferret had just said.

"Wait a second, what do you mean it's your job to scare us humans out of your forest?" questioned Lira as she stared at the ferret and fairy curiously.

"That's none of your business!" snarled the ferret, Moss, as he shook his right paw at Lira. "All you need to know is that you are not welcome here and that you need to leave our home, now!"

Lira flinched at the harsh voice of the ferret before the blue fox/wolf creature walked up to Moss and began to speak.

"Calm yourself, Moss," said the creature in a gentle voice. "She's only one human and she hasn't done any damage to our forest so far."

"That still doesn't change the fact!" shouted Moss as he pointed a claw at Lira. "She's a human and she needs to leave!"

"Wait!" exclaimed Lira as the two creatures and fairy looked at her in confusion. "I can't leave until I find the villages' sheep."

Moss seemed about ready to explode in anger and was about to open his mouth to shout at Lira again when Bluebell quickly flew over to the ferret and wrapped her arms around his muzzle. The fox/wolf creature stepped up and firmly looked Lira straight in the eye.

"Listen, human, you can't just wander around our home looking for one sheep on your own." The fox/wolf creature said in a stern voice.

Lira was about to protest, but the creature cut her off by lifting his right paw up to silence her in showing that he wasn't finished.

"But if means that much to you my two friends will search for your lost sheep, while I escort you back to where you first came into our forest."

Lira hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh of defeat and nodded her head in agreement.

"Good," said the fox/wolf as he turned to look at his two friends. "Bluebell, you and Moss go look for this human's missing sheep. When you find it, lead it back to her village."

"You got it," said Bluebell with a smile as she saluted the fox/wolf. "We'll have the little fella back, while making sure that he doesn't have a scratch on him in the process."

Moss, with Bluebell still clamping down on his mouth, only rolled his eyes in exasperation at what he was ordered to do. The fox/wolf nodded at his two compatriots before he turned to look at Lira again.

"Now, come with me, human," said the fox/wolf as he began to walk down the path that Lira had taken a few minutes ago.

Lira slowly stood up and began to follow the fox/wolf out of the forest with a little bit of hesitation in her steps. Once Lira and fox/wolf disappeared into the thick forest brush, Moss violently shook his head left and right to dislodge Bluebell from his muzzle. Bluebell was sent flying through the air before she landed on the soft mossy floor of the forest. Moss let out a huff as he glared down at Bluebell in displeasure.

"Was that really necessary in clamping down on my mouth like that?" questioned Moss angrily.

"Someone had to keep your big mouth shut," replied Bluebell as she flew up from the mossy ground and fluttered over to Moss. "Plus…it's fun to wrap my arms around your cute little muzzle."

Moss growled at the little fairy before turning away in a huff.

"Whatever." Moss muttered as he jumped down from the rock he had been sitting on and began to walk on four legs towards the underbrush of the forest. "Let's just find that stupid human's sheep already. The sooner we find it, the sooner that human leaves our home."

Bluebell rolled her eyes at the ferret's words before she began to fly after her friend in search of the girl's sheep. Back with Lira and the fox/wolf, they were slowly making their way through the forest in silence with the fox/wolf leading Lira back to her home village. Lira was staring at her guide in fascination and curiosity. She was fascinated at how gracefully the fox/wolf creature was as he moved through the underbrush of the forest without so much as making a sound. Lira was also curious as to why such a creature like the one she was following was wondering around in the Dark Spirits' forest. After a minute of walking in silence, Lira finally plucked up her courage and began to speak.

"So…um…do you and your friends back at the clearing live in this forest?" asked Lira shyly as she carefully stepped over a tree root that rose up from the ground.

The fox/wolf creature came to a stop on top of a large rock and turned to look back at Lira with his aqua eyes again.

"That depends on why you ask such a question," said the creature with a calculating look upon his face.

"Well, it's just that…this forest is supposed to be haunted by Dark Spirits," explained Lira as she came to a stop in front of the fox/wolf. "And the villagers said that not many animals live in this place."

"Indeed," said the creature as he turned and jumped off the rock before he continued on walking. "There are spirits here that do not like humans trespassing on their territories and they do not take kindly to humans, who try to destroy it for their own greed. Those who wonder into this forest wind up killing off the trees and animals, while taking more than their fair share of food."

"My village is not like that," said Lira as she followed after the fox/wolf. "They're really respectful of not going into this forest for fear of angering the Dark Spirits."

"As they should," spoke the creature as he glanced over his shoulder to look back at Lira. "My people and I always made sure that you humans wouldn't come wandering into our home to feed your own ambitions."

Lira stopped in her tracks when she heard what the fox/wolf creature had said as realization came over her face. Lira gulped as the words that formed in her head soon burst out of her mouth as she spoke them in a shaky voice.

"Are you a…Dark Spirit?" asked Lira curiously.

The fox/wolf creature once again stopped in his tracks as a smirk appeared on his muzzle, while he continued to stare at Lira with unreadable eyes.

"You finally caught on, huh?" said the creature with a chuckle.

"But…you don't…forgive me if I sound rude, but you don't look like a Dark Spirit!" exclaimed Lira as she held up her hands defensively.

"It's alright," said the creature with a soft smile before he faced the path ahead of him again. "Personally I think it is better that the human within your village don't know about me and my friends not being, as you so call us, Dark Spirits."

Lira stared at the fox/wolf spirit in confusion at what he had just said. Why would he prefer that humans don't know about him and his friends not being Dark Spirits? That didn't make any sense to her what so ever.

"Why do you prefer that no one from my village know about you not being Dark Spirits?" asked Lira curiously.

The fox/wolf spirit looked back with a raised eyebrow and a frown forming on his muzzle.

"You sure like to ask a lot of questions, don't you?" questioned the spirit with a calculating look on his face once again.

Lira blushed as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment to the spirit's question.

"Sorry," she said as she began to play with a strand of her hair that had come lose from her pony tail. "Asking a lot of questions is one of my faults within my village. I'm always curious about things that don't make much sense to me."

"I see," said the spirit with a hum. "If you want my advice, you should restrain yourself in asking too many questions. They'll lead you to nothing but trouble one day. Also, I'm kind of tired with all these questions."

Lira sadly frowned as she quickly understood that the spirit fox/wolf didn't want her asking any more questions from him. So she kept quiet as she continued to walk behind the spirit that was leading her back to her village. Lira had to admit that this spirit was a strange one, not to mention mysterious in his own way. Lira soon started to gaze around at the forest that she was walking through and saw that there were a few spirits coming out from among the trees and bushes. They were all small in size, but they were all of different shapes and colors. Some of them appeared translucent, while other looked to be solid within their forms. They all gazed at Lira at a safe distance from their places within the trees and bushes. Lira began to hear a lot of them whispering about her as she and the fox/wolf spirit walked passed them.

"Is that a human?" asked one of the spirits.

"It looks like it," answered another spirit again.

"This is the first time we ever had a human in this forest," spoke a smaller spirit that hung within the higher branches of trees.

"It's been centuries," spoke a spirit in an old and tired voice.

"She's a strange looking one, isn't she?" questioned a spirit from the bushes.

Lira began to feel a little uneasy under the stares of the spirits and what they were saying about her. Some of the words they said about her made her feel a little inferior to them, as if she was nothing but dirt underneath their gazes. The fox/wolf spirit seemed to sense that Lira was growing uncomfortable with all the spirits for he stopped in his tracks, along with Lira, and turned to glare at the spirits that had appeared all around them.

"All of you go back to whatever it is you were doing!" shouted the fox/wolf spirit in a commanding voice. "This girl it nothing special and there's no need for you to gawk at her all day! She will be leaving the forest soon enough and she won't be coming back!"

His words seem to ease the spirits nerves and they began to disappear one by one as they faded back into the deepest parts of the forest. The fox/wolf spirit let out an exasperating sigh before he continued to walk onwards again.

"Spirits," muttered the fox/wolf spirit. "When something new comes into our forest they always have to make a big deal of it."

"Sorry," said Lira apologetically as she walked into step with the fox/wolf again.

"The only one who has to be sorry is that young boy, who chased that stupid sheep of yours into our forest," grumbled the spirit as he glanced over his shoulder to look at Lira. "He needs to learn to be more patient when trying to catch something that is faster than him."

"How do you know about Tom scaring the sheep into the forest?" asked Lira in a surprise voice.

"I'm one of the sentries that watches over the borders of the forest," answered the fox/wolf spirit in a voice that said that it was no big deal for him. "I've been doing it for quite some time, and if you're wondering how long a 'some time' is then to answer that question it's 300 years."

Lira's mouth hung open in surprise at what she had just heard and was astounded that a spirit like the fox/wolf had been around for three hundred years.

"Well…must be a tough job for you then, huh" said Lira with a smile as she shrugged her shoulders playfully.

"It was for a time," said the spirit in a dull voice. "Until it began to get boring overtime when the humans began to learn not to enter the Forbidden Forest, but that changed when you were born. I've been watching you for a long time ever since you were a little pup, you would constantly wander closer to the borders of the forbidden forest from time to time. You were always keeping on my toes whenever you almost crossed the borderlines of the Forbidden Forest. I'm just glad that your mother stopped you and that your father started to distract you by making you help him in creating those wooden figuring's to sell when you travel to that big city."

"You sure like to keep tabs on people, huh?" said Lira.

The fox/wolf spirit only let out a huff as he turned his head forward again and saw that they were coming to the edge of the forest. Lira saw her village coming into view and couldn't help but smile. A small part of her was glad to be out of the forest, but another part of her wanted to explore it a little more.

' _Oh well,_ ' she thought sadly to herself. ' _At least I now know that this forest isn't inhabited by Dark Spirits that want to kill us._ '

The fox/wolf spirit stopped in his tracks with Lira coming to stand alongside him as she looked down at him in confusion.

"Why did you stop?" she asked.

"This is as far as I can take you," the fox/wolf spirit said as he sat down on the ground and looked up at her. "Spirits aren't allowed to walk out of the forest or to reveal ourselves to the humans of your village during broad daylight. Listen human, you must never tell anyone about me and my spirit friends not being Dark Spirits, you understand?"

Lira nodded at the fox/wolf in understanding for she had a feeling that he, along with the other spirits of the forest, had a reputation to uphold in keeping unwanted visitors out of their home.

"Alright, I won't." Lira promised with a firm nod of her head. "By the way, my name's Lira, what's your name?"

The fox/wolf spirit stared up at Lira in surprise before shaking his head as a light chuckle emerged from his throat.

' _This girl is a strange one,_ ' he thought before he looked up at Lira again.

"My name is Rennard," he said with a smile on his face. "And don't you forget it."

Lira only smile at fox/wolf, now known as Rennard, as he turned and began to walk back into the forest.

"Moss and Bluebell will be coming back with your sheep soon," Rennard informed Lira as he paused to look back at her one last time. "They'll lead it back to its paddock when it is night time. So you'll have to come up with a convincing story for your people to believe back in your village."

And before Lira could reply, Rennard shot off like a bullet and disappeared into the underbrush of the forest as if he were a ghost. Lira was surprise at how fast Rennard had just run before smiling. She turned and walked out of the forest as she headed towards her village.

' _This had turned out to be one exciting day when coming back home._ ' She thought as she walked out onto the field. ' _I wonder if I'll ever see him again? Probably not, after all there's no way I'll be allowed out of my home again for the next few weeks. Also, it was probably only a once in a life time chance for me that I got to go into the Forbidden Forest._ '

What Lira didn't know was that her life would change from that one little encounter as the wheels of fate began to turn and a dark shadow was beginning to draw nearer to her home village.

To be continued


End file.
